They also have rules against being logged in for too long, and against identity transfer (directly or indirectly using BankID to authenticate for a different login method) [1], since that would result in fewer BankID logins and less revenue for them.

One result of the latter restriction is that any letters containing authentication codes need to be sent by physical mail, since all digital mailboxes such as Kivra and the government-run "Min myndighetspost" support login by BankID. The University Admissions service (antagning.se) were forced to stop sending codes through digital mailboxes due to this [2].

[1]: https://twitter.com/antagningse/status/1178957770978140160

[2]: https://computersweden.idg.se/2.2683/1.643894/skatteverket-s...

Are you sure they can set the prices "freely"? Many regulated monopolies like this are restricted in their pricing.

(disclaimer, not a swede)

This leads to friction and situations where some people are essentially excluded from large parts of society.

The banks also don't seem to be all that interested in interacting with their invidual customers in the flesh.

I think the natural conclusion of this is that the issuing of electronic IDs becomes a government responsibility, decoupled from banking.

The feeling's mutual! I have been using the same bank for over 15 years and only visited once and by accident.

- 18 months ago I tried to facilitate creating a corporate bank account managed by a foreign CEO from a non-EU and very first-world country in order to be able to create a Swedish company (AB) with the goal of hiring software people here in Sweden. Tried two banks (SEB and Handelsbanken) before giving up and going another route.

My impression is that Swedish banks have tightened up things quite a lot in the past few years.

There might be tricks via Cyprus or so, but that will only let you create the AB - you still need a Swedish corporate bank account to pay your employees the proper way.

I agree that something needs to be done.

They have been innovative in the past:

1996/1997: Mass adoption of two-factor hardware devices providing secure authentication for online banking.

2003: Leveraging the two-factor hardware devices to create BankID.

A service like this needs to be infrastructure, one way or another. Secure, reasonably neutral, trusted... You don't want it serving as a retaining wall for a monopoly.

If you actually mean a company using blockchain in other ways: do you have any examples?

So since HN is a place primarily for technologists who like to push things forward, maybe you have a stronger argument than just saying that you’re a Swede?